A landslide is the displacement of huge masses of earth downhill under the weight of its own weight. Mudflow is a stream of water and mud that moves at high speed and carries pieces of rocks, boulders and small stones. A landslide is stone fragments of various sizes flying from the top.

These natural disasters occur in mountainous areas and can threaten life. Let's figure out how not to let the elements catch you by surprise and what to do if you still find yourself in an emergency zone.

How to prepare for possible mudslides, landslides and landslides

If you live in an area where there is danger of landslides, landslides or mudslides, prepare Mudslides, landslides, rockfalls / EMERCOM of Russia to possible cataclysms in advance.

Study the terrain features

Find out Recommendations to the population in case of the threat of landslides, mudslides and landslides / Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Main Directorate for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic , where mudflows usually descend from the mountains, and do not visit these places after heavy rains or during the melting of ice. Remember in which territories there are landslides and where the boundaries of dangerous areas are.

Strengthen your home and help others

Check whether the walls, roof, and main load-bearing structures are sufficiently reliable. If your locality is preparing to meet with the elements, maybe the emergency services will need your help. Participate in the construction of general protection systems against possible disasters.

Follow the information about the formation of mudslides and landslide foci

Read or watch weather forecasts. Always open SMS messages from the local emergency service - as a rule, they write the most up—to-date information.

Report signs of an incipient landslide to the emergency services

If your house is on a dangerous site, jammed doors or windows can become an alarm signal. This effect can be caused by small movements of the earth on the slope. If you notice similar changes, inform the Ministry of Emergency Situations or the landslide station. Maybe your information will help you prepare in time for the impact of the elements.

Find out how to get information in an emergency

If forecasts report that the danger of a cataclysm is increased, turn on local media and monitor the situation in real time. Pay attention to the sounds of sirens or information from street speakers. This way you won't miss urgent messages from the administration and signals about the beginning of evacuation.

Study evacuation routes in advance

If a mudslide or landslide catches you in the mountains, you should know exactly how to get away from mud flows or moving earth masses faster.

Perhaps you will hear about the impending evacuation of the house. In this case, you should clearly understand where you need to go or go, where the collection points are located and how best to get out of the disaster zone by car.

Prepare documents and essentials

Put all the main documents in one folder. Make a list of things in advance that you will take with you during evacuation. If you think that you will not be able to get ready quickly or forget something, pack an alarm bag with things in advance. It must contain:

Medications that you take all the time.
First aid kit — bandage, patch, painkillers, antiseptic.
Medical documents if one of your family members has chronic diseases.
Two or three sets of underwear.
A set of clothes for the season, warm clothes.
A set of home clothes and shoes — slippers, T-shirt, sports or pajama pants.
Hygiene products — wet wipes, pads, diapers for babies.
Food supply for three days. Be sure to take products that do not need heat treatment — canned food, bread, biscuits, chocolate.
Chargers for smartphone, tablet or laptop. Perhaps a charged powerbank will come in handy.

Save Rules of conduct during evacuation in case of emergency / Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Main Directorate for the Omsk region calm down and be ready to act quickly.

What to do during a landslide, landslide or mudslide

If a landslide is already developing, but its speed is several meters per month, evacuation may not be necessary. But it is better to prepare in advance for any development of the situation. It is worth moving furniture and things to a safe place. It makes sense to disassemble buildings on a garden plot that can be destroyed by the elements.

When you hear a signal about a powerful landslide that is moving at a speed of more than half a meter per day, about a mudslide or rockfall, prepare for immediate evacuation.

If you are at home

Proceed according to a pre-made plan.

Bring all things into the house from the yard or from the balcony. If possible, pack things that may suffer from moisture in a plastic wrap.
Remove toxic and flammable substances from the house. They can be buried in the garden or placed in the cellar. The entrance to the cellar must also be carefully closed.
Shut off electricity, gas and water. Unplug the electrical appliances from the sockets. Disconnect the gas cylinder if you use it.
Close the doors, windows, and air vents tightly. This is necessary so that streams of dirt and water do not get into the house.

Then go to the point of organized evacuation or leave the locality in your car. If you are leaving on your own, find out a safe route in advance, as well as find out where to find a help point for evacuees.

If you are captured by a landslide and your house is moving along with the soil on which it stands, you need to leave the room. Try to stay close to the center and as high as possible. Do not approach the edges of the moving area.

If you are out of the house

You can hear the noise of mudflows or the rumble of stones when you are on the street of your locality. Perhaps you will find yourself in the mountains — alone or together with a group. In these cases, it is necessary to immediately leave from the bed of the approaching stream.

In the village or town of d , do not move in the opposite direction from the stream, but sideways. Safe places will be mountain slopes or other hills where there is no danger of a mudslide or landslide. Try to get to such sites as soon as possible.
Inform your neighbors about the approaching disaster. If the noise of the raging elements caught you on the street of a village or city, talk about the danger to everyone you meet along the way. Perhaps someone will find out about the collapse or avalanche from you.
In the mountains urgently at walk from the line of movement of a mudslide or landslide. Use the same tactics — move to the side and up. If you are in a low-lying area, immediately climb to a height of more than 50-100 meters. Remember that during a mudslide, heavy stones can fly out of the stream. High speed makes them life-threatening, so try not to delay.

It is impossible to hide in valleys and gorges. They can also turn into mudflow channels.

What to do when a landslide, mudslide or landslide ends

If you urgently escaped from the elements and got to the nearest safe place, make sure that there is no threat anymore. After that, return to your locality.

If the connection is working, tell your loved ones that everything is fine with you.

Then, if you feel well, help Landslide / Ministry of Emergency Situations, Main Directorate for the Chechen Republic rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. You can join the search for victims and the analysis of the rubble.

If you yourself are affected, ask for help.

Do not enter the house until it is examined by specialists. They need to make sure that the supporting structures are in order. It is important to check that there is no gas leak in the housing. Do not turn on the electricity until you receive confirmation that the network is working properly.

Keep following the information from the emergency services. In this case, a new cataclysm will not take you by surprise.